Police chopper to share the air

Sussex, Surrey and Hampshire Police Authorities, the bodies responsible for overseeing the police forces in each of these areas, have reached an agreement to create a shared police air support unit to cover their areas.

Currently, each authority operates its own individual air support unit, Sussex and Surrey using helicopters and Hampshire operating a fixed wing aeroplane.

Under the new arrangements, a consortium will be established using the two helicopters to cover the three force areas.

The authorities say this will ensure the three forces can continue to have access to the highly effective, but expensive, resource at a time where budgets are under pressure.

The new arrangement is expected to save around 8m for the three authorities over the next five years.

Legal agreements were signed earlier this year for the creation of regional units to provide witness protection, covert operations and technical support.

A similar legal 'Section 23' agreement will now be drawn up to formalise the new air support unit.

It is expected that the consortium will be up and running by the end of the year.

Cllr Jacqui Rayment, chair of Hampshire Police Authority, said: "Having air support available makes a big difference for the police on the ground.

"Not only does it give the police an edge over criminals; it is invaluable for helping locate missing persons and also provides important support for dealing with major incidents.

"This kind of specialist service does not come cheap, but by working together we are able to maintain the provision of effective air support at a time of decreasing public spending."

Dr Laurie Bush, chairman of Sussex Police Authority, added: "After lengthy and detailed discussions between authorities and forces, we have agreed that collaborating in this way on air support represents the most sensible way to protect this important service in difficult times.

"This kind of decision is not taken lightly and we have worked hard to make sure that the outcome is the right one for the residents of Sussex, Surrey and Hampshire."

Peter Williams, chairman of Surrey Police Authority, concluded: "Police authorities in the south east have not shied away from getting to grips with the real financial pressures ahead of us.

"Not only are we making big changes and taking tough decisions locally – collaborations like this show how we are also thinking regionally to make savings and protect the front line policing services that people want.

"We are united in our commitment to keeping front line policing strong through the tough times ahead and we will continue seek out other opportunities to work together in order to do so."